“Thank you Rabbi, My Life Has Never Been The Same!”

For the past few years, every Yom Tov, many Crown Heights families join together to tackle the streets of Sheepshead Bay. The following are two heartwarming stories that show the powerful effect of mivtzoim.

For the past few years, every Yom Tov, many Crown Heights families join together to tackle the streets of Sheepshead Bay. Armed with their big smiles and caring hearts, they work on building relationships with the people living there, one mitzvah at a time. The following are two heartwarming stories that show the powerful effect of mivtzoim.

During a home visit, one Anash family knocked on the door of a woman named Ilana, as they do every Yom Tov. However, instead of Ilana, David, her son who lives in Manhattan, and his brother opened the door. They explained that they were sitting shiva for their mother. The family was invited in, and they sat with the two brothers. During the visit, David shared that he was born in Israel and moved to the States when he was six years old. At first, his mom enrolled him in a frum Talmud Torah. However, eventually the boys transferred to public school because the family was unable to afford the tuition. At the end of the visit, which lasted for over an hour, they gave David the phone number of Rabbi Yitzchok Schwartz.

Two days after this home visit, David called Rabbi Schwartz to express his gratitude for the visit with the family. He explained how much the visit meant to him and the impact it had on him. Being that he spent his formative years learning in a frum environment, he always had a warm connection to Yiddishkeit and a desire to grow but didn’t know how to go about it. By the end of the conversation, it was ensured that there would be someone to say Kaddish for Ilana for the whole year. Additionally, David bought a pair of tefillin and was connected with the Chabad near his home. He is ever so grateful to have met this family who helped guide him to the right people so he could actualize his dream. 

Another man whose life has turned around completely started on Chanukah when an R’ Mendel Gourarie, member of the Crown Heights community, knocked on an elderly man’s door. Upon being invited in, they noticed that this man strongly associated himself with another religion. There were objects demonstrating his connection all over the home. Nevertheless, he wanted to light Chanukah candles, and they spent a nice amount of time together. R’ Mendel remained in contact with him and visited him a second time. He had his tefillin checked and fixed and invited him to Crown Heights and have since started a chavrusa together. 

A short time later, another individual,  R’ Aryeh Wolf, originally from Kherson, who speaks Russian just like this elderly gentleman, began to visit him in his home regularly. Gradually their relationship grew and eventually, the elderly Yid  agreed to get rid of all the unholy items lying around his home and declared that he no longer belonged to that religion. In addition, he has begun going to shul every once in a while.

During Chanuka, hundreds of yungerleit and bochurim from the Crown Heights community came through to bring the light of Chanuka to the Sheepshead Bay community.

This Purim, we again ask you to take part in this special mivtzoim opportunity and bring the joy of Purim to the thousands of Yiddishe neshamos in Sheepshead Bay.

So, how can you join?

The process is simple, choose one of the following:

Option 1:

Call us before 7 PM on Thursday (Taanis Esther) and we will bring all the necessary material to your home.

Option 2:

Pickup from the mivtzoim truck parked on the corner of Kingston Ave and President St.

Purim night (Motzei Shabbos): 8:45 PM – 11 PM

Purim Day (Sunday): 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Thank you and a freilichin Purim!

Chabad of Sheepshead Bay runs an extensive Mivtzoim operation to reach the thousands of Yidden living in the area. The program is operated by Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz, Outreach Director at Chabad of Sheepshead Bay, headed by Rabbi Shlomo Cohen, Director of Chabad Of Sheepshead Bay.